SWINE 



529 



ROOTS AND OTHER SUCCULENTS 

 FOR PASTURAGE AND FEED 



In experiments at the Ontario college 

 to determine the feeding value of roots, 

 it was found that when equal weights 

 of roots and meal were fed together, the 

 hogs made more rapid and economical 

 gains than when meal alone was fed, and 

 the bacon produced was superior in 

 quality. This and many other experi- 

 ments at the station show that succu- 

 lent foods, whether roots or green for- 

 age, tend to keep animals thrifty, and, 

 therefore, to produce firm bacon. The 

 amount to use is about equal weights of 

 succulent foods and grains. 



Apples — Windfall apples are often used 

 as succulent food for hogs in the fall. 

 Even at the low price of 10 cents per 

 bushel they were not found an economi- 

 cal food at the New Hampshire sta- 

 tion. At the Oregon station three eight- 

 months-old shotes were confined in a pen 

 and fed all the apples they could eat for 

 one month. At the beginning of the test 

 they weighed 408 pounds and at the end 

 443.5 pounds, showing a gain of 35.5 

 pounds. This gain, however, was mostly 

 due to filling up, showing that the apples 

 were no more than a maintenance ration. 

 The hogs during the test kept in excel- 

 lent condition. At the Illinois station, 

 apple pomace when too much fermented 

 was not relished by hogs. When fresh 

 it may be used, but has a low feeding 

 value. 



Artichokes—The tubers of this crop 

 are frequently pastured by hogs, the 

 hogs being allowed to root them out. 

 The crop is available in late fall and 

 the tubers that remain in the ground 

 over-' winter can be pastured in the 

 spring. Hogs greatly relish these roots. 



At the Oregon station, where the tu- 

 bers were left in the ground and the 

 hogs allowed to root them out, but little 

 gains were made when no other feed was 

 given. When, however, a small grain 

 ration was fed in addition, an average 

 daily gain of 0.81 pound per head was 

 made. This gain for hogs weighing all 

 the way from 133 to 215 pounds when 

 the experiment began, is considered very 

 satisfactory. The pigs were healthy and 

 vigorous on artichokes and their use 

 is commended to farmers. 



At the Ottawa station, pigs fed on 

 artichokes were allowed a daily grain ra- 

 tion of 1.5 pounds of mixed grain and 

 made an average daily gain of 1.6 



pounds, requiring 93 pounds of grain 

 for each 100 pounds of gain. The cost 

 of the gain in this test was $1.80 per 

 100 pounds. Professor Grisdale, who 

 conducted the experiment, estimates that 

 after deducting the cost of the meal fed, 

 the artichokes had a value of about $140 

 per acre. 



At the Missouri station, a bushel of 

 artichokes and 3 bushels of corn proved 

 superior to 4 bushels of corn for hogs. 

 Good results are also reported by the 

 Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana and Mary- 

 land stations in the use of artichokes for 

 swine. 



Cassava — This plant promises to be 

 an exceedingly valuable forage crop for 

 Florida and the immediate coast region 

 westward to Texas. The starchy roots 

 of the plant grow 1 to 3 feet in length 

 and from 2 to 3 inches in diameter and 

 are readily eaten by hogs. Under ordi- 

 nary field conditions the yield is 5 to 8 

 tons per acre. In experiments at the 

 Florida station, hogs fed on cassava 

 made gains at the cost of only 1.4 cents 

 per pound, while on corn the cost was 

 3.6 cents per pound. Pound for pound, 

 cassava proved 35 per cent better than 

 corn. This plant promises to be ex- 

 tremely useful as a forage crop for hogs 

 wherever the season between frost cov- 

 ers a period of eight months. 



Chufas — This root crop was compared 

 at the Arkansas station with peanuts 

 and soy beans as a pasture crop for hogs. 

 The yield of chufas was at the rate of 

 184 bushels per acre, of peanuts 90 bush- 

 els per acre and soy beans 27.2 bushels 

 per acre. The gain on the chufas was 

 50 per cent less than on the peanuts 

 and about 80 per cent more than on the 

 soy beans. The fat from hogs pastured 

 on chufas melted at 98.4° F., which was 

 about 10 degrees higher than that made 

 on peanuts and 5° lower than that made 

 on soy beans. 



In two tests, at the Alabama station, 

 of this crop, pigs gained on the average 

 307 pounds per acre when given one- 

 fourth to one-half the usual grain ra- 

 tion. The average amount of grain 

 required to produce a pound of gain on 

 chufas was 2.3 pounds. Estimating pork 

 at 3.5 cents per pound, chufas had a 

 value of about $13.09 per acre and were 

 fully equal to Spanish peanuts for pas- 

 turage. 



Mangels — At the Indiana station, man- 

 gels were fed with corn meal and shorts 



